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    Church’s sign drawing community-wide criticism

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February 6, 2010

Church’s sign drawing community-wide criticism

Jonathan Jackson

The sign in front of the Society for the Ten Commandments reads “Gays and lesbians are disgraces to humanity.” Pastor Robert T. Lee is unapologetic for the display at the church on U.S. 441 N. near Lake Sinclair and said that anyone who feels he should remove the sign doesn’t want him to have his constitutionally protected free speech while retaining their own.

Lee, a pastor from Eatonton, says he leads the small congregation that meets at the church on Sundays. His goals, he said, are to “use the 10 commandments as a foundation and present that to everyone in a practical way to enable people to see their total depravity.”

“Our purpose is to try and enable people to live righteous and not as hypocrites,” Lee said.

Teachings on the organization’s Web site www.tencommandments.org, including one calling for the death penalty for gays and lesbians, has alarmed some community members who see the sign as igniting a debate about faith and common sense.

Lee maintains that he, his 10 to 11 church followers and online followers are on the track to salvation.

“We are the true disciples of Christ,” he said. “We are outside of what we call established religion.”

The church began as a home church at Lee’s Putnam County home. He has since secured a presence at the small modular building facing the highway.

Lee said the small church is not a problem for his following.

“We have a small facility for our group and it is not a problem. Not many people espouse what we teach,” he said.

His belief is that the Ten Commandments supercede any law or teaching.

“If they should reject the Ten Commandments, then we do not give them Jesus,” he said.

Lee’s previous signs have included messages proclaiming that Christ did not die for everyone and that male gynecologists and obstetricians are guilty of violating female patients. He said that his latest message has drawn a response of sorts from the community. The letters d, i and s were removed to make the sign read “Gays and lesbians are graces to humanity.”

Lee said that when the sign read “Christ did not die for everyone” that letters were removed, but those were the only times. He said there had been no vandalism to the sign or the church.

Baldwin County code enforcement visited Lee at the church Thursday to see if he was in compliance with county signage ordinances. Baldwin County code allows for businesses to have signs on property, but church signage is more vague.

Lee maintains that he has the freedom of speech under the Constitution of the United States, a document that he disavows in teachings on his Web site. Still, his message, not his right to display it, is what is drawing complaints to the Society for the Ten Commandments, the county and The Union-Recorder.

Tim Thomas, associate pastor at Freedom Church in Milledgeville said that the true message of Jesus should not get lost in the discussion.

“Jesus said to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself,” Thomas said. “All the teachings of the prophets and the law of the Old Testament hinge on these two points — love God, love people, which is all fulfilled in Jesus Christ.”

Lee, who said he changes the message on the sign every two weeks, said he has spoken to people who agree and those who don’t.

“I’m open to talking to people who don’t agree,” Lee said. “I hope they would respect our rights and not try and change our signs.”

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